SET FREE FROM THE PRISON OF WANT
Psalm 28 "be their shepherd and carry them forever." & 100 "Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Max lacado wrote:" What is it that keeps you from real joy? How would you fill in the blank? "I’ll be happy when __________" (Healed, promoted, rich, own my own home, get my car paid off). Now if what you put in your blank happened would, but you be happy? Would it really make you happy? I would like for us to go to a prison that is the most populated prison in the world. There are more residents there than there are resources. These inmates say they are overworked and underfed. This prison has more people in it, is more oppressive and more permanent than any other prison that exists. The walls are bare and the bunks hard. Most that are in this prison are there for life. Some get out for a short while but they seem to always return. Even though it is an overcrowded facility the people want to be there. What do you think this prison’s name would be called if there were a sign over the door as you enter in? It would be in four letters WANT. You see we find many that are not satisfied with life and are encased in the prison of WANT. They always want something more. It has to be bigger, nicer, faster, greater. It does not have to be much just little more than what they have. One thing more. Like a new job, a new car, a new friend. When that one comes they will be happy. Once the happiness comes, they leave the prison of WANT. But then it happens, the car loses its new smell, the new job becomes routine and not a challenge, the neighbor buys a new bigger screen TV and the new friend becomes dull. So they return to the prison of want willingly. Let me ask you do you feel better when you have more and worse when you are in need? If you happiness is dependent on what you deposit, drive, drink or digest you are in the prison of WANT. That’s the bad news. We have good news today. Today we have man named David who comes to us to tell us the secret of satisfaction, "The Lord is my Shepherd I SHALL NOT BE IN WANT." You see David is saying that he has found the pasture where discontent goes to die. "What I have in God is greater than what I don’t have in this life." Let us think about the things we own, like the car you drive, the house you live in, the clothes you have in your closet and drawers and maybe the stocks you have bought. All that stuff. What about that stuff?
I. ALL THAT STUFF IS NOT YOURS. Take time to visit with the funeral director and ask how many of the people he has taken care of has taken any of the stuff with them. It was once asked about John D. Rockefeller, "How much did he leave behind when he dies?" His estate man said, "All of it." "Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand." Ecc. 5:15
II. ALL THAT STUFF IS NOT YOU. Who you are has nothing to do with the clothes that you wear (fashion) or the car you drive (It loses the value you paid for it once you drive it off the car lot) or the things you possess (they are all subject to decay and wear out) or the money you have (interest you gain vs. interest they charge you) Jesus said it this way in LK 12:15 "Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot." It might be stated like this "you are not known in heaven for the nice suit you have on or a nice house you dwell in or the new bike you just purchased. It is what is in your heart that heaven knows about you. I SM 16:7, "The Lord does not look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." What does God notice about you? Your compassion, your devotion, your tenderness, your willing spirit and he does not notice what things you have. So when you think about yourself it is not good to think about the things you have because in doing that you will feel happy when you have a lot and sad when you do not have much. A man who wrote a lot of the NT said this, "I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have.... I know how to live when I am poor and I know how to live when I have plenty."
There was a man named Doug Mckight who knows this. He was only 32 when he found he had MS. In the next 16 years this disease cost him his career, his mobility and his life. He was not able to feed himself or walk and had to have help to get from place to place. He had a real battle with depression and fear. He never lost his sense of thankfulness. It was seen in his prayer list. His friends in this church asked him for a list that they could pray with him about. He gave them a list of 18 blessings that he was thankful for and six concerns for which to be in prayer about. So can you see the math here? His blessings outweighed his needs three to one. He was a man that learned contentment. How are you doing?
Then there is the leper on the island of Tobago which a short term missionary met. On the final day of his trip he asked the leper if she had a favorite song. She turn around and looked at him with the most disfigured face he had ever seen. She had no nose or ears and her lips were gone. As she raised her fingerless hand she asked, "Could we sing, ‘Count Your Many Blessings?" The missionary started the song but did not make it all the way through without breaking down with tears. When asked about the song he said, "I’ll sing it again but never in the same way as I have ever done."
A minister named Russ Blowers was once asked to speak at Rotary Club about his profession. He wanted to say more than "I’m a preacher." So this was his talk, "Hi, I’m Russ Blowers. I’m with a global enterprise. We have branches in every country in the world. We have representatives in nearly every parliament and boardroom on earth. We’re into motivation and behavior alteration. We run hospitals, feeding stations, crisis pregnancy centers, universities, publishing houses and nursing homes. We care for clients from birth to death. We are into life insurance and fire insurance. We perform spiritual heart transplants. Our Original Organizer owns all the real estate on earth plus an assortment of galaxies and constellations. He knows everything and lives everywhere. Our product is free for the asking, There is not enough money to buy it. Our CEO was born in a hick town, worked as a carpenter, didn’t own a home, was misunderstood by his family and hated by his enemies, walked on water, was condemned to death without a trial and arose from the dead. I talk with Him every day."
A Puritan sat down to pray over his meal of bread and water and said, "All this and Jesus to?"
We all need to know we have a Shepherd. God who hears us when we call. One who shows His power by LOVE. Who sent His Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. One who has all of heaven waiting for us. A Shepherd who has grace that can be available for every sin. One that guides us in every direction we take. One who can dispel when we are in the darkness with His light. One who can give us stability when the storms of life come breaking in on our lives. A Shepherd that no one can take away. A diagnosis of CA can’t infect your salvation. Being short of money even for a need can’t diminish your prayer life. A storm might come and destroy your things but can’t touch your heavenly home. You may have a good position in life right now but it will pass but your place in heaven is forever.
A person came to a minister to be counseled one day. He had lost money and said, "I"ve lost everything." Min: ""Oh I’m sorry to hear you have lost your faith." Man: "no, I’ve not lost my faith." Min: "Well then I’m sorry to hear you have lost your character." Man: "I didn’t say that, I still have my character." Min: "I’m sorry to hear you have lost your salvation." Man: "I didn’t say that, I haven’t lost my salvation." Min: "You have your faith, your character, your salvation. Seems to me that you’ve lost none of the things that really matter"
May this be the day that you are set free from the prison of WANT. May it be the day that you may rejoice that the "Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not be in want. "
